British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN have set 'The Final Frontier' as the title of their new studio album, due late summer of this year.

It was recorded at Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas with producer Kevin Shirley. According to a posting on Kevin's official web site, "There's still work to do, but the band portion is complete and in the can, so to speak."

Shirley previously worked on the last three MAIDEN albums — 2000's "Brave New World", 2003's "Dance of Death" and 2006's "A Matter of Life and Death".

The next IRON MAIDEN album will be the band's fifteenth studio record, and they face a challenge to follow up 'A Matter of Life and Death', which was received well critically.

The announcement about 'The Final Frontier' comes with news of a North American tour with very special guests DREAM THEATER to open in Dallas, Texas, on June 9 and finish in Washington D.C. on July 20, making it MAIDEN's most extensive North American tour in many years.

Following these shows in USA and Canada, 'The Final Frontier World Tour' will travel back to Europe for a few selected major festival and stadium shows with the band planning to continue to many other countries in 2011.

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